ASK MARTHA\Get organized with eye-catching bulletin board.

Byline: Martha Stewart 

I am always searching for clever ways to organize my life, and I've found that hanging bulletin boards in strategic places in my home helps. I use the boards to display recent photos of my family, friends and pets and to hold invitations, business cards and work schedules so that, with a quick glance, I can be inspired or brought up to date.

Many people use magnets on the refrigerator door for this purpose, but I find this to be an unsatisfactory and messy way of dealing with temporary displays. A much more organized - and certainly more attractive - option is to use a bulletin board you create and decorate yourself.

Start with a homosote board. Homosote is a relatively lightweight pressed board (-1/2 inch thick) made from recycled newspapers. This hard, rigid material is easily penetrated by tacks, nails or staples.

You can find homosote in lumberyards, where it is sold in 4-by-8-foot sheets for about $17 to $22 a sheet.

The first step is to measure the area you wish the board to cover and then cut the homosote to size using an X-Acto knife and a straightedge.

Here are some ways to decorate the board:

To make a pushpin board, cover the homosote with a sturdy, textured fabric (linen, burlap or artists' canvas), leaving a 4-inch overhang on each side. Pull the fabric tightly, turn it down so no raw edges show and secure it to the back of the board with a staple gun. (Fold fabric on an angle to the corners, as if making hospital corners on a bed, and staple.)

Affix the board to the wall with special flat-headed stainless-steel screws fitted with large-finish washers.

Use colorful pushpins to hang notes, phone numbers, etc. You can also display photos or artwork. This changeable art gallery is a pleasant way to add interest to a wall above a table or desk - or any other spot you have to look at a lot.

A "pocket" bulletin board can be made with colorful ribbons.

Start with a piece of linen 4 inches longer and wider than the homosote. Select a variety of ribbons in widths ranging from 1-1/2 to 6 inches. Trim the ribbons to fit the width of the linen.

Lay a wide ribbon along one short side of the linen, 3 inches from the edge. This will become the top border of the bulletin board.

Sew the ribbon down along its top and bottom edges. Place the next ribbon so that it overlaps the bottom seam of the first, and sew it along its bottom edge, leaving the top open to create a pocket.

Continue sewing down ribbons until the linen is covered. Stretch the linen around the board and secure it to the back with a staple gun.

Here are two other ribbon boards to make:

1. Paint the surface of the homosote with several coats of water-based wall paint, either flat or eggshell. (Allow the coats to dry between applications.)

Stretch ribbons across the board on opposite diagonals, keeping the rows of ribbon parallel in each direction. (Grosgrain ribbons work best because they can be pulled very taut.)

Fix the edges and all intersections of the ribbon with -1/2-inch decorative upholstery tacks.

2. Cover board with fabric, following directions for pushpin board.

Lay grosgrain ribbon on board in double parallel diagonals spaced about 6 inches apart with -1/2 inch between double ribbons. Secure ribbons on sides of board with T-pins.

Flip board over and staple ribbon to back. Cut off excess ribbon and remove pins.

Weave single ribbon crosswise between double ribbons at the same angle, creating a diamond pattern.

Once single ribbons are woven, secure cross points with upholstery tacks. Staple ends of ribbon to back. Cut off excess.

Instead of hanging the boards on a wall, try cutting homosote to fit the back of a door that opens into a space near your desk or telephone.

I have a large linen-covered board that is screwed onto the back of a door next to my computer. I use it to hold my calendar, schedules, diet information and frequently used phone numbers.

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Photo Creative use of ribbons can jazz up a homemade bulletin board.